ASSEN/BOLOGNA (ANP) - Regerend wereldkampioen Marc Márquez rijdt ook de komende twee jaar voor het fabrieksteam van Ducati in de MotoGP. De 33-jarige Spaanse motorracer heeft bijgetekend tot en met 2028, meldde Ducati Lenovo. Márquez reed vorig jaar op een Ducati met overmacht naar de wereldtitel. Dit seizoen kwam hij mede door een voetbreuk wat moeizaam op gang, maar hij won wel de laatste twee grands prix (Hongarije en Tsjechië) en geldt nu als grote favoriet voor de zege in de TT van Assen komende zondag.

"Ik ben rood", liet Márquez weten in een reactie, verwijzend naar de kleur van de Italiaanse motor. "Toen ik besloot om bij Ducati te komen, was ik ervan overtuigd dat dit het meest competitieve project was. Ze geloofden in me en we hebben een relatie opgebouwd, gebaseerd op vertrouwen en hard werken. Ducati heeft mij het respect en de gemoedsrust gegeven die ik nodig had om de juiste beslissing te nemen."

Diverse sportevenementen van de komende dagen zijn afgelast in verband met de hitte. Onder meer de wandelvierdaagse in Sevenum van deze week gaat niet door en ook de Roda Run in Kerkrade, de Schoklandloop, de Ronde van Nieuwveen en de Zwartewaterlandloop zijn afgelast.

Eerder werd al bekend dat de triatlon in Zeewolde en de wielertocht IJsselmeer Challenge komend weekend niet doorgaan.

Vanaf woensdag 12.00 uur tot ten minste vrijdag geldt in het midden en zuiden van Nederland code oranje vanwege extreme hitte, meldt het KNMI. Volgens het weerinstituut zorgt de combinatie van hoge temperaturen en luchtvochtigheid voor "een onaangename, benauwde hitte".

Enkele sportevenementen zeggen de weersverwachtingen nauwlettend in de gaten te houden. Bij de fietstocht Heavensride op zaterdag vanuit Vorden en de Obstacle Run zondag in Amersfoort zijn de starttijden in ieder geval al vervroegd. En de organisatie van de Midzomer Marathon in Apeldoorn op zaterdag heeft de marathonafstand ingekort naar 28 kilometer.

Warm weer voelt als vakantie. Maar achter die zomerse temperaturen gaat ook iets minder prettigs schuil. Onderzoekers waarschuwen dat langdurige blootstelling aan hitte mogelijk je biologische veroudering versnelt. De effecten zijn in sommige studies vergelijkbaar met roken of overmatig alcoholgebruik.

Terwijl wij ons opmaken voor een superhittegolf, groeit bij wetenschappers de zorg over een minder zichtbaar effect van hitte: niet alleen je energieniveau lijdt eronder, maar mogelijk ook je cellen.

Je lichaam wordt biologisch ouder

Volgens onderzoek naar veroudering zijn mensen die langdurig in warme gebieden wonen biologisch ouder dan mensen in koelere regio’s. ‘De biologische leeftijd van mensen die in warme gebieden wonen, is tot veertien maanden hoger dan die van mensen in koelere streken,’ zegt Eun Young Choi, verouderingswetenschapper aan de USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology (VS), tegen National Geographic.

Een verschil dat zelfs zichtbaar bleef nadat onderzoekers rekening hielden met factoren zoals inkomen en leefstijl.

Alsof je motor nooit uitgaat

Dat hitte zwaar is voor het lichaam, weten we al langer. Maar de verklaring achter die versnelde veroudering wordt steeds duidelijker. Bij warmte probeert je lichaam voortdurend af te koelen. Het hart werkt harder, het zenuwstelsel staat continu aan en de nieren moeten extra hun best doen om vocht vast te houden.

Op korte termijn beschermt dat ons. Op lange termijn mogelijk niet. ‘Het is alsof je de motor van een auto langdurig laat draaien,’ zegt cardioloog Adedapo Iluyomade van het Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute (VS). ‘Die constante belasting zorgt ervoor dat onderdelen sneller bezwijken dan gebruikelijk.’

Je genen reageren op hitte

Volgens onderzoekers gebeurt er nóg iets op de achtergrond: hitte lijkt invloed te hebben op de manier waarop genen functioneren. Langdurige warmte werkt als een vorm van biologische stress. Daardoor kunnen ontstekingen ontstaan, neemt oxidatieve schade toe en raakt de hormonale balans verstoord.

Iluyomade zegt: ‘Na verloop van tijd veranderen deze herhaalde stressreacties de manier waarop je genen zich gedragen.’ En dat kan gevolgen hebben. ‘In plaats van het lichaam te helpen zich aan te passen, kan chronische hitte juist vitale systemen uitputten en het verouderingsproces versnellen.’

Bewijs is nog niet rond

Onderzoekers benadrukken dat voorzichtigheid nodig blijft. Een studie uit 2025 zag blijvende veranderingen in biologische verouderingsmarkers na blootstelling aan hitte. Een andere analyse van ruim negenhonderd volwassenen vond dat bloedcellen biologisch ouder leken bij mensen die vaker hoge temperaturen meemaakten.

Toch is het verband nog geen keihard bewijs. ‘Deze studies zijn gebaseerd op waarnemingen,’ zegt Iluyomade. ‘We zien een duidelijk verband, maar er is nog geen bewijs dat hitte de oorzaak is.’

Dit kun je nu al doen

Het goede nieuws: onderzoekers denken dat veel schade te beperken is. Iluyomade noemt airconditioning voor kwetsbare groepen niet een luxe maar noodzaak. Daarnaast adviseren experts om tussen 10.00 en 16.00 uur uit de directe zon te blijven, voldoende water te drinken en regelmatig verkoeling op te zoeken.

Ook simpele ingrepen helpen, zoals meer bomen en schaduwplekken in steden.

Bron: National Geographic

Siting datacenters either on the water or underwater is an idea that just won't sink, and there is increasing interest in it, despite the obvious fact that water and IT equipment are a potentially disastrous combination. The attraction of having a data facility in or on the water is that it offers virtually limitless natural cooling, which is an increasingly vital consideration for operators deploying hot-running systems filled with GPUs for AI processing. But set against that are potential issues with access for maintenance, in the case of underwater facilities, and gaining access to enough power to keep all that IT infrastructure chugging along. The most recent announcement is that an underwater facility off the coast of China has now commenced operations, powered by a nearby offshore wind farm. First disclosed last October, this project by Beijing-based Highlander Digital Technology has a capacity of 24 megawatts, about half the average size of a US datacenter, but is designed to run on more than 95 percent green electricity. It is expected to serve clients such as China Telecom and a state-owned AI computing company, and is said to be part of a push by the Chinese government for operators to lower their carbon footprint. But long before China got in on the act, there was Microsoft and its Project Natick. This involved a prototype lowered into the water off the coast of California in August 2015 to test out the concept, before Phase II of the trial saw a larger unit tested out near Scotland in 2018. When this latter unit, fitted with 12 racks containing 864 servers, was hauled up from the seabed in 2020, Microsoft reported that the systems in it had experienced a failure rate one-eighth that of a land-based control cluster. Yet despite declaring the experiment a success, Microsoft chose not to proceed any further with submerged server farms, and the company never fully explained why. It seems likely that the issues around accessing the IT kit for maintenance or upgrades, not to mention supplying power to an underwater enclosure, all add up to make land-based facilities just more convenient. Despite this, some companies, such as Subsea Cloud, have persevered with the idea. However, another approach that seems to be gaining more traction is the floating datacenter, typically on a barge tethered close to shore or even on board a ship. Google toyed with the concept back in 2013 after patenting a design for a floating facility back in 2008, but changed its mind, reportedly after finding the time and cost of meeting federal maritime safety regulations too burdensome. Another US company, Nautilus Data Technologies, made bit barges a reality with one facility in Marseille, France, and another in Stockton, California, before shifting to focus on the EcoCore line of AI infrastructure. However, the Stockton facility is still operational, according to Nautilus, offering 6.5 MW of IT load capacity. In Japan, shipping biz Mitsui OSK Lines (MOL) started exploring the possibility of fitting out a ship as a floating data hall last year. This year, the company signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Hitachi for the development of such a facility from a second-hand vessel, with a view to commence operations in 2027. When first floated, MOL said it expected to use a 120-meter ship to support an IT capacity of 20 to 73 MW, but the plans with Hitachi could involve a larger vessel. The ship's onboard systems, including air conditioning, water intake, and power generation, would be used to service the IT infrastructure. Korean behemoth Samsung is also looking to get in on this action, signing an MoU with Greece-based shipowner Capital Clean Energy Carriers and Lloyd's Register earlier this month to build floating server farms from scratch using existing shipbuilding methods. Samsung said that such facilities can have advantages over existing datacenters because they can address land scarcity, lower cooling costs, and reduce carbon emissions. But perhaps the wildest floating bit barn concept comes from Panthalassa, a startup based in Portland, Oregon, which is developing wave-powered floating structures designed to operate in the deep ocean. The firm, backed by venture capitalist Peter Thiel, has designed the units to operate autonomously, connected to the outside world via SpaceX's Starlink satellite network, according to reports. But as New Scientist magazine points out, saltwater and wave action are very effective at causing trouble for machinery, and Panthalassa didn't respond to its questions about what happens when something goes wrong in the middle of the ocean, or about relying on a satellite link to get data in and out. Other floating datacenter projects aim to sidestep the permitting hurdles and power constraints faced by land-based facilities, but it seems that scale is likely to be the enemy of such waterborne projects. The hyperscaler mob is looking to build massive multi-gigawatt facilities such as Meta's planned Hyperion facility, and stuffing servers onto barges or ships is unlikely to match facilities of this size or their economies of scale. Where they will find a home is in places such as Singapore, which is severely land-constrained. Earlier this year, two firms even proposed floating hydrogen power plants to serve shore-based datacenters. ®

Welkom bij Het gaat niet zo lekker in Nederland, en wel hierom (titel wordt aan gewerkt, red.). Het gaat vandaag verrassend genoeg weer niet zo lekker in Nederland, en wel hierom: alles is onbetaalbaar maar niet betaalbaar en daarom zeggen steeds meer mensen dat alles onbetaalbaar maar niet betaalbaar is. En nu zegt het Nibud dat ook: Onder jongvolwassenen van 18 tot en met 30 jaar is het aandeel dat moeite heeft met rondkomen van 40 naar 54 procent gestegen. Dat krijg je als het in Nederland niet zo lekker gaat door onbetaalbare huurprijzen, onbetaalbare huizen en onbetaalbaar bier (zat in de aflevering van gisteren). Maar er zitten niet alleen de jongvolwassenen in dat schuitje, daar zitten gezelligerwijs veel meer mensen in: "Het aandeel huishoudens dat moeilijk rondkomt, is sinds 2024 gestegen van 32 naar 38 procent." Met huishoudens gaat het dus ook steeds minder lekker in Nederland, en wel hierom: "Voor veel huishoudens zijn stijgende uitgaven, hoge vaste lasten en een inkomen dat daarbij achterblijft, de reden dat zij moeite hebben met rondkomen." Goh wat gaat het weer lekker in Nederland. En daarom morgen gewoon weer een aflevering van Het gaat niet zo lekker in Nederland, en wel hierom (titel wordt aan gewerkt, red.). Hadden we trouwens al gezegd dat alles onbetaalbaar maar niet betaalbaar is? En dat steeds meer mensen dat zeggen?

Wat helpt om af te koelen als het buiten heet is? In deze gids geeft NRC tips om de dag zo aangenaam mogelijk door te komen bij warm weer.

Generations of gardeners have added stones to their pots before topping up with compost, but does it really help?

The problem
Most old houseplant guides suggest adding a layer of gravel or stones to the bottom of the pot before adding compost. It is presented as basic good practice; the thing you do to stop soil from retaining water, which can cause root rot.

The hack
This layer of gravel is said to improve drainage by providing a place for excess water to collect below the root zone, keeping roots above the waterlogged area and allowing air to reach them from beneath.

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The latest decree from Afghanistan’s rulers makes it impossible for women and girls to leave unwanted or abusive relationships, even with family support

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She had never met her husband before their arranged wedding in the summer of 2024. Each time her family asked to see him, they were told he was shy. It was only on the wedding day, relatives say, that Fatima understood what had been hidden from her: her husband had severe intellectual and physical disabilities and could not eat, wash or dress himself without help.

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The former Federal Reserve chair was a smart guy – but he had a huge blind spot. Here’s what I wish I’d said to him

Alan Greenspan has died at the age of 100.

My students don’t recognize his name, but you probably do. When he was chair of the Federal Reserve – for more than 18 years, from 11 August 1987 to 31 January 2006 – he not only ran the US (and most of the world’s) economy but was also in many ways the most powerful person in the US.

Robert Reich, a former US secretary of labor, is a professor of public policy emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. He is a Guardian US columnist and his newsletter is at robertreich.substack.com. His new book, Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America, is out now in the US and in the UK

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In HBO documentary The Welcome Table, director Josh Fox brings together people from across the world whose lives have been dramatically altered by the climate crisis

In an age of division, director Josh Fox is hoping to bring people of all kinds together. Specifically, he wants them to share a table – to break bread for a meal, and come together in exuberant song.

In his new documentary film The Welcome Table, the director of the the Emmy-winning Gasland travels around the world to talk to people at the leading edge of global warming’s effects. The film is part stark warning of the climate crisis, part opportunity to enter into the experience of those living in the corners of the globe. It culminates with the sounds of these individuals together at an enormous table in New Orleans, eating and rejoicing.

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The colour-coordinated ‘clean girl’ athleisure aesthetic is dead. Now it’s all about mismatched outfits and vintage sportswear

At first, the goblins came for our downtime. Going “goblin mode” was a lifestyle confined to the home – to the bed, mostly. The “comforts of depravity” it brought (“watching 90 Day Fiancé on mute while scrolling endlessly through social media, pouring the end of a bag of chips in your mouth”, for example) weren’t compatible with doing anything productive.

Enter the gym goblin. The optics remain much the same – think ancient T-shirts, knackered socks, oversized cardigans – but the setting has changed, with goblincore devotees rising up from unmade beds, Diet Cokes in hand, to hit the treadmill. It’s Diana, Princess of Wales’s oversized college sweatshirts meets Josh O’Connor’s half-tracksuit look for the Disclosure Day press tour – and the polar opposite of the matcha-drinking, Lululemoned “clean girl” aesthetic that dominates fitness circles.

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Withdrawal of TPS designation puts workers who fill vital role in peril – and risks further shortages in US health system

When Dolores Jacoby’s doctor told her there was little she could do to treat her acute myeloid leukemia, a deafening silence filled the hospital room, where she was surrounded by her family. Dolores had only recently been diagnosed with the rare aggressive cancer. Her beloved nursing assistant, Janeth, was standing just outside her room. After the doctor left, Janeth entered with a tray containing each family member’s favorite beverage. “If there’s anybody who can recover, it’s your mother,” she told John Jacoby, Dolores’s son, before leaving the room as inconspicuously as she had arrived.

It was 2012. More than a decade later, John still remembers that day in his mother’s hospital room in the San Francisco Bay Area clearly. “We had just heard the worst news of our lives, and Janeth injected life into my mom, into her veins, into the atmosphere, you know, for all of us,” he said.

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From book club meet-cutes to shared English Literature lectures, romance has blossomed beyond the page for these bibliophiles

Dua Lipa and Callum Turner have been honeymooning in Italy, after throwing a star-studded wedding in Palermo earlier this month. But their relationship began with a book: running into each other at an LA restaurant, the pair realised that they were not only reading the same novel – Trust by Hernán Díaz – but had both just finished the first chapter. “So, we’re on the same page,” Turner said to Lipa. Here, four other couples share the literary sparks of their love stories.

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Former Starmer loyalist Nick Thomas-Symonds suggests battle would not be in ‘best interests of the country’, as Al Carns and Darren Jones decline to rule out bids

Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive and estranged husband of Nicola Sturgeon, has been jailed at the high court in Edinburgh for five years and three months after he admitted embezzling more than £400,000 from the party.

In Scotland Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive, is being sentenced for embezzling more than £400,000 from the party.

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